Portland's Hip Hop

North'n Lights - Cut Em' or Pay Em' from Sebastian Jaramillo on Vimeo.

Simplistic Interview

First off would you guys like to introduce Simplistic? (give us an idea who you are.)

Yeah, as far as describing ‘Simplistic” our sound is a fusion of funk, hip-hop and R&B. The primary goal is to get people to shake their asses while they are listening to us…

If we were to have an official mission statement it would be. we want you to shake your ass… (we’re still working on the wording)

If there was an executive summary of what occurs at Simplistic shows it would simply be: People shook their asses.

Ok I’m done.

How did you all get together to form Simplistic?

We formed almost a year ago, Sky had a book of rhymes and basically we just started putting things to music. It was a cool way to start; it was like having instant original tunes.

Our first couple practices we’re interesting, Brian our drummer didn’t have a kit so, he played on this miniature drum set for kids 5+… It was still funky though. After Brian got a kit, we were together for about a month and got a gig playing a house party. Going into the gig, we had few doubts about how we would be received; we ended up killing it though! This basement was packed people we’re really digging it, after that, we were all like “Yeah we have some legit tunes, let’s keep doing this.”

Since then our sound has evolved to be a bit more R&B than straight hip-hop. We had to change our drummer in July, our boy Brian moved away… Our new drummer Sam keeps it real funky, it was an easy transition.

Where does the inspiration come from to make the music? How does the "magic" happen when you are all together jamming out or recording in the studio?

I think for the genre of music we play, it’s about creating something that people can listen to, tap their foot, dance and just enjoy themselves. We’re not trying to rant about politics or convey some sad life event from the past, our lyrics are about enjoying life, finding love and listening to funky jams… anyone can relate to those things.

As far as song writing goes, for us it has been very spontaneous and instinctive. Someone will play a lick or come up with a couple rhymes and then it’s on… Things fall into place; it’s really strange how it works. We haven’t been as successful sitting down and “officially” trying to write new material. For us, that method of songwriting seems strained and unnatural.

Our songwriting method has something to do with celestial alignment; I’m not sure what that alignment is… When we figure it out we’ll come out with a double disc set or something… ridiculous.

What is the music scene like these days in Eugene Oregon? Venues?

The Eugene music scene is actually pretty cool; with the college here you get a lot of really talented people that leads to some great bands. As far as bar venues, Luckey’s, Downtown Lounge and Oak street are the go to live music venues. There are a couple other spots, they can be hit and miss though, that’s a nice way of saying they are completely empty all the time and playing there is less than satisfying… Playing to empty venues is part of the business though.

A tour? is that in store at all?

Definitely, we went to the bay area last March and played a couple shows. We would like to do a trip to Seattle and maybe out to the East side of the state. Eastern Oregon has a dearth of live music, it might be cool to try and gig in Hood River, Pendleton…

The future for simplistic? Upcoming projects, what should we expect from the group music wise?

Musically we’ve shifted away from the straight hip hop sound towards a more funk/R&B sound. Some of our newer influences are Maxwell, Excellent Gentlemen from PDX and (can’t forget) our boy Ginuwine.

As far as marketing goes, it’s somewhat easier to gig as a band that is R&B as opposed to “hip-hop” some people are really opposed to hip hop culture and the music… c’est la vie.

Do you have a cd out? If so what is it called how can the people get it? When should we expect the next one to drop?

Ahh yeah, we’ll be recording some new stuff this November, we guarantee ass shaking grooves!

Shoutouts?!!

Of course… Our boy Brian J, for some song inspiration…

Jeremy and Don from Eugene band Taste… Thanks for the help.

Most importantly all of our homeys and homegirls that come to the shows…

And yeah thanks Mr. Roles, for the pics and putting this together, we really appreciate it.

Thanks for the interview guys! Make sure to check out their music on their MySpace. These guys get down @ live shows, seen em rock the didgeridoo!!

Northe'n Lights

How did you two come together to form NL?

Term: I was running Flatline studios and Sonny came through as a client looking to record his artist. Once I heard his style of production I thought it would be a good fit to take my music into another direction. A more commercial direction.

Sonny: At the time I was putting together tracks for my Artist Mac Smiff and began working with Term on the recording end. As we got more familiar with each others work we kind of naturally came to the conclusion that a collaborative effort would not only bring us both up to the next level as producers but also benefit the region by creating a more distinctive sound than has been heard in the town recently.

When you two are in the studio, how does it all come to life? How does the magic happen?

Term: Usually we start with a drum beat and decide if we are going to flip a sample or to do a synth beat. Once the drums get laid we go through sounds until something sparks that creativity. From there, we just trade off on who lays the next melody line. After that we sequence it into a song and start to come up with song ideas and write hooks for the tracks.

Sonny: Difficult to encapsulate how the creative energy is born, but usually we go through drums for a while, lay those down then surf patches or chop up the sample if were using one. The melody creation is kind of a jam session most times we bang out till we spark something hot and work of that, reefing as we go. Term is a beast on the mixing tip and I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to synth sculpting so we just kind of go in on it and a banger is born.

What initiated or inspired you two to create music?

Term: What inspired me to make music was listening to a lot of underground hip hop. The way they had taken samples and turned them into tracks really amazed me and I had no understanding of how it was done. The group Jedi Mind Trick producer, Stoupe, was who really made me want to make tracks. He had a really dark style that incorporated a lot of asian/spanish/rock samples.

Sonny: It was a little more practical for me I suppose. Being a recording artist myself I’ve always had an admiration for beats, and producers but the desire was born from necessity. When I first dabbled in the art, there weren’t that many producers that fit the style we where looking for so I started making beats, little did I know it would inevitably consume every free moment and seep into ever crevice of my life. Music is just like that you know?

You network through the net, (twitter,facebook,myspace) are you able to reach out to other artist you would normally not run into? How is that going? Want to share how successful it has been?

Term: We were able to connect with a few of the artists on Cut Em or Pay Em thru myspace and twitter. I had been getting at Punchline for a minute to do a track and eventually we had something that was the right fit for him. I met Playboy Tre through a friend of mine out in Atlanta. Once we got in touch with him and he heard the tracks, he was super excited to get down on a song.

Sonny: Yeah what he said!

It has been awhile since we heard from NL, I posted some stuff a while back now, at that time you two were in the works on a project titled Cut em or Pay em, how is that coming along? Would you like to share some of the artists you are working with on the project? What should we expect from the project music wise?

Term: Right now the album is almost done, we are just waiting to finish a couple more songs with some local artists before we release it. It should be dropping in later September or early October. We are working with:

Braille, Theory Hazit, Liv Warfield, Illmaculate, Dain, Top Shelf, Grynch, Toni Hill, Serge Severe, Dain, Punchline, Playboy Tre, Vic Dastardly, Destro, Arjay, Element, Knuckles, Kenny Mack, and more.

Sonny: Yup! And Luck One, Seventh Science in the building. You should expect great music we’ve made it a point to connect with as many of the great regional artists, and nationals too, as possible. You’ll great production, songs, the whole nine. Expect a sound for every taste; it's a real eclectic representative of Portland, I think.

What is the future looking like for NL?

Term: We are headed to NYC in September to shop our music and get in touch with some artists to possibly collaborate. Our trip to Atlanta was successful so we just plan on keeping it moving and grinding with the tracks, even if that means we have to go to other regions.

Sonny: We expect for the NY trip to be just as successful and more as ATL. We're just trying to connect with like minded artists, make good music, and Rep the Region!

Peep the Links:

nlights.groovecartel.com

myspace.com/terminill
myspace.com/kidfresh2def
twitter.com/terminill
twitter.com/sonnythproducer
youtube.com/termtables

Thanks for the interview guys, excited to see what the future has in store for the both of you! Stay up.

Espi Interview

How you doing? What is good with Espi?

Just paying bills, staying busy with the graphic design work and trying to improve my craft as an emcee.

Last time we heard from you, you just put out The Sweat Shirt Dinner Party, how has the public's reaction been to that project?

Feedback from people who have listened to the new stuff has been very positive. There has definitely been a lot of improvement since I put out True Love + High Adventure. I'm improving everyday as a writer and hopefully that will help my music be enjoyed by a broader audience.

How is it being an independent artist? Would a deal be something that you would say is your goal?

I'd def be down for a deal if the terms were right. But getting a deal isn't something I really focus on when making music. I think a lot of that perspective just comes from being from the northwest. We only have a select few artists who even get offered deals by independent companies. I'd love to make a living off of music but I don't necessarily see that as a possibility at this point because I'm not able to head off on the road for 6 months out of the year to promote myself. I have a mortgage at home I have to pay and am not willing to make my family suffer because I have a dream of being a rap star.

You are one of the artist that I have notice hasn't put out a project for free download on the net, how is that effecting the spread of your music, and are you planning on going that route ever?

If somebody wants music for free they can get it. I'm just leaving the option open to help support the cause.

You finally went on tour! How was that? Who did you go on the road with? Planning another Tour??

Yeah, ha. We're finally getting out of state. The Wright Family went on tour last year with Scarub of The Living Legends. That was def a big learning experience for me. We traveled from Seattle to La.

This year we went on our first tour with the entire Garden crew. JG and I are in a group called Wright Family, Amsterdam and Middle form Top Shelf, and we also brought our DJ, DJ Hit N' Runn.

Def had a lot of fun. Some of the shows were a bit below expectations but we still got love in every city.

I'm working on finalizing few spot dates in California and Nevada right now. No tours for now tho...

Any story you want to share with us while on tour?

Not really. ha.

You are married man, two years under your belt, right? Congrats, How is it growing up/married life?

Life is good right now. My wife coaches basketball and volleyball at the high school level while maintaining a full time job. I'm working while doing the music and design thing. So we are both very busy but are good about saving time for each other. Being married is definitely a lot of work but I'm getting better at it and life is good right now.

You have this side hustle know as EspiDesign, wanna touch on that? What is good with that, and where are you gettin most of your jobs from?

I went to school at the University of Oregon as an advertising major and spent a lot of time learning graphic design. It is another passion of mine and fortunately I'm good enough at it at this point that its profitable. I have the website up right now www.espidesign.com and I'm planning on doing a redesign very soon. Graphic Design is what I'm hoping to do for a living eventually.

Next projects for you and garden? what is instore for Espi in the future? solo cd? Wright Family? mixtape?

I'm already started on another solo project right now. Still not quite sure exactly what it's going to be but I'm def planning on pushing the skits a little farther than I have in the past. And I'm considering doing a comedy album at some point because I'm so fucking hilarious.

Any shoutouts?

Shout outs to my wife Jen and dog Alex. The Garden. And everyone in the Northwest doing something productive with their lives....

Thanks for the interview my man!

Check out Espi's links:

Music

Twitter

EspiDesign